Gendich spent a large portion of her career working in Clinton County before beginning a practice in Ionia.

“I’d never worked in a community with such a heavy multi-generational addiction issue before coming here,” Gendich said.

According to Gendich, addiction can be seen as a chronic relapsing illness.

“I’ve visited my mom every two weeks for most of my adult life. Never in that time has she offered me a vitamin if I felt sick, a Xanax if I felt sad or some Adderall if I was tired. Here, that is a common response that 11 or 12 year olds get,” Gendich said.

Gendich posits that addictions begin due to boredom, anxiety, depression or individuals wanting to party with their friends. At her practice, Gendich works with those who have a history of narcotic addiction. There, she uses Suboxone as a method of treatment.

“Suboxone is a medication for opioid addiction treatment. A narcotic has a specific chemical structure and often is used for pain. Heroine, morphine, and opium, even though we don’t see that much around here, are all narcotics,” said Gendich.

According to Gendich, individuals on Buprenorphine therapy will not suffer and have no withdrawal period that others who quit using narcotics cold turkey will experience.

“Buprenorphine is a step ahead of methadone. It’s more available to people who can’t go to a methadone treatment everyday from 9 to 5. It allows them to live their life and develop stability,” said Gendich.

While using Suboxone, individuals are able to see clearly what is happening around them, and for many, it is the first time they have noticed their life situation in years, said Gendich.

“It’s devastating, but awakening. If individuals change the dynamics of their life, then sometimes they can come off from Suboxone. Others may need to be on it for life. I always tell them, it’s cheaper than what they were on,” Gendich said.

Opioid dependence is a chronic disease that can be managed, but not cured. Typically, chronic disease required long-term treatment using both medication and behavior change, said Gendich.

According to Gendich, individuals can relieve their dependence on narcotics by undergoing this type of treatment, along with counseling and a lifestyle change.

For more information on Buprenorphine therapy, contact the Buprenorphine Information Center at 866-287-2728 or at info@buprenorphine.samhsa.gov.

The next Ionia County Substance Abuse Initiative work group meeting will be 12 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Ionia County Health Department.